From Behind the Chair to Behind the Strategy: What Being a Hairstylist Taught Me About Marketing

For seventeen years, I have been a hairstylist. Going on fifteen of those years have been spent at Bella Trio Salon and Spa, working with clients who have become far more than appointments on a schedule.

I work with long-term guests. Women of all ages and income levels. Some men. Some children I have watched grow into young adults. These relationships are the reason I am not “quitting” hair altogether. I am simply reducing my time behind the chair, not because I lost passion, but because my body has asked me to listen.

Hairdressing got me through some very hard seasons of life. It allowed me to build relationships, confidence, and stability. And most importantly, it gave me a front-row seat to something that has shaped everything I believe about marketing today: people want to be seen, heard, and understood.

What being a hairstylist teaches you that most marketers never experience

When you sit across from someone face to face, week after week, year after year, you learn quickly that trust is not built through clever language or persuasion.

Trust is built through listening.

Consultations taught me this long before I ever studied marketing. Listen. Respond. Listen again. Verify. Listen again. People need to know you truly hear them before they trust you.

As a hairstylist, I never felt like I was selling. I was educating. I shared what I knew, explained options, and allowed my clients to decide what was right for them. Whether they purchased a product or not, they were treated with the same care and respect.

I remember once explaining a product to a client, and she laughed and said, “Well, you sold me on that.” I responded, “No, I didn’t sell you anything. I educated you.” She smiled and said, “Well, you educated me out of money.”

That moment stayed with me.

Because that is the difference. People do not want to feel sold to. They want to feel informed and supported. Service-based businesses, especially, are not selling products. They are selling experiences, trust, and outcomes. Everything you do online contributes to how people perceive that experience long before they ever walk through your door.

How marketing entered my life (before I ever studied it)

I started marketing long before I went back to school.

Originally, I began using Instagram for one simple reason: to grow my own clientele. I was self-educated, learning through trial, error, frustration, and curiosity. I studied constantly. Marketing has always required continuous learning, adapting to new platforms, new trends, and new technology.

At one point, my salon owner encouraged me to take Instagram seriously. Honestly, I did not want her to be right. I tried to prove her wrong.

Instead, she was right.

Over time, Instagram worked. My clientele grew. And something unexpected happened: I fell in love with the process of helping the business grow, not just my own chair.

That eventually led to me taking on marketing for Bella Trio. Content creation. Calendars. Promotions. Blogging. Newsletters. Print and digital assets. Strategy. I became a marketing department of one, while still working behind the chair.

When shoulder problems and knee surgery entered the picture, I knew I needed to think differently about my future. Not because I was giving up, but because I was evolving. Marketing became a second passion, rooted in the same motivation that brought me into hair in the first place: helping people feel confident and supported.

Why corporate marketing was never the right fit

When I went back to school for marketing, I did not doubt myself. I am not someone who quits when things get hard.

What surprised me was how hard it was to be taken seriously.

Job interviews often felt like I was being seen as “just a hairstylist trying to do marketing,” rather than someone who had been practicing marketing in the real world for years. That disconnect forced me to reflect deeply on what actually made me happy.

The answer was not corporate environments or generic strategies. The answer was small businesses. Real people. Real constraints. Real relationships.

Small business owners do not need more pressure. They need clarity.

What most marketing advice gets wrong for small businesses

The biggest mistake I see is advice that tells business owners they need to be everywhere.

Every platform. Every trend. Every tactic.

That approach ignores reality.

Small business owners already carry so much. Comparing themselves to others, feeling behind, trying to keep up with systems that were never designed for their size or season only adds stress. It does not create better marketing.

Marketing should feel like sharing your knowledge and your why. It should feel like explaining what you do, who you help, and why it matters, not checking boxes to satisfy an algorithm.

When marketing is rooted in understanding your clients, respecting your capacity, and communicating with intention, it becomes sustainable.

What I believe marketing should feel like

Marketing should feel calm.

It should feel like an extension of how you already care for your customers, not a performance you have to maintain. One post a week can be a meaningful beginning. One thoughtfully built website. One blog. One update to your Google profile.

Progress does not require everything at once. It requires one clear step at a time.

That belief is at the heart of everything I do through Radiant Rise Creative.

A message for the business owner who feels overwhelmed

If you are a small business owner who wants to succeed but feels overwhelmed by all the information, systems, and advice out there, I hope this reminds you of something important:

You are not failing.
You are not behind.
You are not doing it wrong.

You are learning.

You are building.
And building takes time.

You do not need to keep checking boxes that do not serve you. You are allowed to simplify. You are allowed to move step by step. You are allowed to ask for support.

If this resonates, let this be your permission to slow down, reflect, and choose clarity over comparison.

And if you want a partner to help you simplify, steady, and grow in a way that actually fits your business and your life, that is exactly why Radiant Rise exists.

You do not have to do this alone.

Seventeen years behind the chair taught me more about marketing than any algorithm ever could. This is how listening, trust, and real relationships shaped the way I approach marketing today.